Tiffany Ring

[sjulaw]

I have my mind made up--I am going to by a Tiffany Engagement Ring for my sweet, because, despite the anti-Tiffany sentiment on this board, nothing says love like the little blue box. Plus, on top of that fact, you are buying one of the best quality stones available, with over a hundred years of craftmenship and trust behind the product. The downside--a 20% mark-up, but isnt love and a peace of mind worth a few thousand dollars. Now, my question--what is the average sized stone for a classic solitare ring. I''m looking at a .80 stone with exceptional color and clarity. Is that too small? What is the norm? In advance thanks for your help.

 

[shutinup]

Dude, diamonds are a commodity. A tiffany diamond is not better than a no-name diamond. If you can't get over that fact, at least don't buy from Tiffany. Tiffany is a supermarket for people who don't know what is truly the best. If you really want to impress, go with HarryWinston, and if you cant afford that, step down to Cartier. Both are far superior jewelers than Tiffany.

 

[Mara]

SJU you are a marketers dream come true. But that is okay because I am in marketing..someone has to buy our schpiels!

There really is no *average* stone size. I've read alot that 1c is the 'norm' but it really depends on your preferences, your budget, her preferences, the size of her hands, her daily jewelry habits, etc. If she has small hands (e.g. size 4 finger) and only wears small earrings or no jewelry, she may not want a 1c..and a .80 may work well for her hand size. Plus if you are buying Tiffany, a 1c may be out of your budget, those things can get expensive. I think someone posted recently that a Tiffany 1c ring was around $13k or something absolutely ridiculous.

I know you want to buy Tiffany and I can respect that. But I also want to say from a factual point of view that Tiffany's stones are not GUARANTEED to be better than a stone you can find with a little research on your own, and their stones don't even come with a certified gem lab report unless you buy at least a 1c. They give you their own appraisal and their own letter of recommendation on their stuff, and people buy it. Because of the brand they have built and the marketing dollars they have spent. Excellent. BUT if they were a regular average joe vendor, giving the bare minimum of info on their stones, their own store appraisal and letter...people on a forum such as this would NOT recommend them to a regular customer. But with Tiffany it is readily bought into.

On this forum we are all fighting to find the best available technology with which to measure our potential stones, give me the Bscope, give me the IdealScope, the Sarin, I want darkfield illumination!, etc. With Tiffany all they do is treat you haughtily, show you some rings and take your money. You get a stone, a ring with some lettering, a box, a bag, a Tiffany appraisal, a letter saying 'thanks for buying' and some debt. Even with the great branding and the cool image, I would still take a stone such as the A Cut Above for LESS than Tiffany (because you are paying more than 20% markup) with far superior light return. That is quality--but it is also just my opinion.

Good luck!

 

[mattinSD]

"nothing says love like the little blue box"

You're joking, right?

 

[shutinup]

I bet a down payment on a BMW would say love a hell of a lot more than any color box---

 

[Lanee]

Well said, Mara, I used to think I wanted a Tiffany Lucida and then I started doing online research and realized I could get the same for less by not getting there brand name and I'm not pretentious enough to pay for the name.

"a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet" -William Shakespeare

A great quality diamond is still a great quality diamond without the Tiffany name or blue box.

And you must not have your mind completely made up or you wouldn't have set up this post so, I hope we can help sway you from wasting money that can be better spent with some research.

 

[mike04456]

Personally, I think nothing says love like taking several months to learn all you can about diamonds and the diamond market, then busting your butt to find the best stone and setting you can afford. But maybe that's just me.

 

[Giangi]

OK Mara, now you can kill me: I think Tiffany's jewelry is well worth its price... They stones aren't definitely the best on the market, but I think their service and assistance are worth their prices... But this is only my personal opinion. I wouldn't buy a T&Co solitaire, though

. A 0.80 with extra high color and clarity is a very nice size and will be stunning, but keep in mind that many women prefer size over quality... You may want to look for a maybe 1ct VS 2 (the lowest clarity grade sold by T&Co) and a nice white color...

 

[Mara]

Lanee--Congrats..educating yourself on your purchase saved you a few grand most likely. For most of us...a few thousand dollars is alot of money to save on a luxury purchase like a ring.

Giangi--You are entitled to your own opinion--I respect that!

I just take exception to the misconception that people seem to have that Tiffany sells the BEST stones, has the BEST service, BEST pricing for their BEST quality. That is not the case. I have yet to see a comparison of a Tiffany stone to a ACA stone posted here on Pscope with Bscope images, Sarin results, IdealScope etc. I bet that Tiffany does not buy ACA or 8* stones to sell to the customers, and yet their markup is far more than either of those super branded stones. For the name. For the box. For the bag. No one even knows what sort of quality you are getting, it's just *assumed* that it is top-notch because its Tiffany!

Nothing would say love to me like my sweetie being smart and saving us some money due to being well educated (because we are getting married and therefore will be sharing finances, his smart saving is to my benefit later) and getting me something even BETTER than Tiffany carries. That would make me smile. (LawGem this echoes your sentiments, but I didn't notice your comments until after I wrote this!

)

Don't get me wrong, I love Tiffany...for things like sterling silver bracelets or rings, or cool diamond necklaces by Elsa Peretti or funky designer items you can't get elsewhere. But not a regular solitaire diamond ring. Service and assistance is one thing...but you can get that in a great online vendor for no markup! Why pay the extra?

(boy I feel really opinionated today!)

 

[Giangi]

Yes, Mara... But think about the 6 prings solitaite, the etoile band, diamonds by the yard, the Lucida... Tiffany's created them and they are copied everywhere in the world... They have created some of the most beautiful, yet so simple pieces of jewelry... But this is just my perspective...
As I said I wouldn't buy a Tiffany diamond

... It's better to purchase a higher quality, H&A stone on the internet

! But I don't have anything against Tiffany...

 

[Mara]

I don't have anything against Tiffany either...it's the misconceptions surrounding their items that irks at times. But yes they have some great designs, I agree, that is why they are copied everywhere. Doesn't mean you should buy a diamond from them!

 

[Giangi]

I agree 100%... I think of Tiffany in that way!

 

[Giangi]

Also, they have some really gorgeus **big** gemstones... I have seen quite a few of them that were so large they looked fake

 

[Lanee]

I don't have anything against Tiffany & Co, either. I agree the Tiffany designs are copied often and I wouldn't invest in a knockoff for a non-gemstone piece because despite the markup, the designs are well known and that has an appeal of it's own (admittedly pretentious appeal). But, a diamond is a diamond and there is nothing exceptional about a diamond at Tiffany's that makes it worth the markup to me.

 

[PoopEater]

People get so worked up about Tiffany on this board. I have a different perspective from anyone else on the board. I am of the opinion that diamonds are all useless trinkets. They do absolutely nothing, save sit there and look pretty. At the end of the day, what are we comparing?

1. A larger, better color/clarity, useless diamond from the internet
2. A smaller, worse color/clarity, equally useless diamond from Tiffany's

Whether you spend the money on a 'better' stone online, or on the Tiffany's brand name is of the same consequence. Both stones are equally useless, and serve no purpose other than to make the girl happy. If she prefers brand name over quality, then so be it. Buy the Tiffany and be done with it.

 

[dimonbob]

Hello sjulaw;
Welcome to the forum.

To answer your question...The average or norm when it comes to size of a diamond depends on where you live. Probably one carat in Los Angeles. Here in Texas women want larger diamonds (Texas size) but usually don't consider the other three C's. (I am going to get jumped on for that statement!) Exceptional color is D, E & F. Expectional clarity is Flawless to VVS2.

I hope you don't believe that Tiffany marks up only 20%.
The little blue box is special and maybe important but she does not put the box on her finger. Let me give you some homework...Find a Tiffany diamond that you like... say .80 E VVS2 AGS certified Ideal cut and get the cost. Find one to match it AGS certified Ideal cut with hearts and arrows, in other words super ideal cut, here on pricescope. Compare the price. One thing you have to remember Tiffany does not manufacture all of their jewelry nor do they cut their own diamonds. I know who cuts their diamonds and they sell to other stores besides Tiffany's.
Think man and good luck.

 

[Lugus]

----------------
On 3/5/2003 2:24:16 PM LawGem wrote:

Personally, I think nothing says love like taking several months to learn all you can about diamonds and the diamond market, then busting your butt to find the best stone and setting you can afford. But maybe that's just me.

----------------

I know my finance LOVES that I spent so much time learning about diamonds. Nothing says love like giving her the nicest stone she will ever see on anyone's finger.

I went looking at tiffany's too, but I still haven't seen a tiffany's diamond that looks nicer than the one I have. But if you want to pay more and get a lower quality stone, I hope she thinks that that means love too.

 

[AmPm]

Hi there,
You've been given some honest and good advice in these responses, but ultimately the decision is yours if you have the $$$$, and your sweet must have a Tiffany ring then so be it. A .80ct stone with exceptional colour and clarity sounds nice. Personally I'm not that impressed with the blue box!
Good luck

 

[Googleman]

Nothing says "I've paid too much" like the little blue box.

Okay, I am just teasing! Well, sort of. Personally, I would not want a diamond from Tiffany's when I could get something better and bigger for the same money, but there are many women out there who appreciate the Tiffany's name and assurance of quality. If it means a lot to your girlfriend, you should go for it! After all, it's only money! Good luck with whatever you do! I am sure the proposal in and of itself will be enough to have her thrilled. The (Tiffany's) diamond will just be icing on the cake!

 

[trichrome]

Here's my canadian point of view.

We know Tiffany here...... but well..... it's not like it is the BIG jeweller....
Birks is our canadian Tiffany.
I'm also 100% sure that if you go to Northern Russia, they don't even know
how to spell Tiffany....... but a pretty good looking diamond is well
recognized in every spot on earth..... (if this is what matters to you)

So you're buying a Tiffany because you like the brand.... fine for you....
but believe me, you're putting your $$$ in the trash........ you don't mind..
well I've no problem with that.

Me i bought a diamond engagement ring because I love the esthetic of a diamond
sitting on a band.. Not because my sweet likes diamond, neither because her friends have
diamonds......

Trichrome.

 

[kt]

Hi there -
I'm just going to provide this info and you can use your own judgement:

I recently took my mom's Tiffany engagement ring back to the store to get it reappraised (they had lost the paperwork in the past 35+ years). They took the ring, and for 5 weeks, I never heard back from them. I tried calling, and got a runaround for another two weeks where they told me the ring was back in the store, it wasn't, it was....I had to schlep THREE TIMES to the store only to find that it wasn't ready as promised. Finally got it back this week. Overall, I think their service is ok, but nothing fantastic.

Mara, you can easily help find out what a comparable stone (though with limited data) would cost online; this is what Tiffany said the value of the stone/ring would be if I bought it new today:

Round Brilliant
.72 carat
VVS2
I color (their lowest grade)
$5,630
No other information provided with the analysis (polish, symmetry, depth, etc.)

Tradein policy: you can trade up a stone ONCE and then you must buy a stone either twice the size (e.g., 1.4 carat in this case) or twice the price (~11,200); they also take about 10-15% off the value of the ring and pocket that as a "fee".

My boyfriend (soon to be fiance) just bought me a GORGEOUS ring (though I haven't gotten it yet!!) after some research:

GIA cert
Radiant cut (rectangular)
1.09 carat
VS1
H
depth 61.9%
Table 64%
Polish and Symmetry good
Fluor none
etc. etc. etc.
~$5,000 w/platinum setting (ok, I saw his credit card statement)

I do own a lot of Tiffany stuff and I love the designs they have, but when my BF asked if I wanted a Tiffany ring (always a reliable pleaser since most of my b-day and christmas gifts have been from there), I adamantly said NO! And we had a great time, like Mara and other people, looking for stones, learning how to view them, reading this forum, etc. etc. and finally picking a ring setting. For someone who has NO interest in jewelry, it was really sweet of him to get so involved in something he knows I really will love.

Hope this helps!

 

[sjulaw]

All of you are Tiffany Haters. You all have blue box envy. And, by the way, spending countless hours out of your life "researching" diamonds with a bunch of cyber-clones in a weak attmept to socialize is sad. Spend the money, buy the ring and get over it. Its a ring for crying out loud. Not brain surgery. Get a life and thanks for pointing out how normal I am compared to all of you. Bye.

 

[TigerWoods]

Why the confrontational attitude? Sounds like your the type of person that needs everyone to agree with you. Why would you even post if you were so sure about your decision?

Hahahaha
guess someone touched a nerve or something.

and it takes visting a diamond forum to make the guy feel normal?
Proves that this guy is even more unsure of himself.

hahahahaha....some people are.....funny.

different folks, different strokes dude. Just because you dig it, doesn't mean that everyone who hates it is an idiot.

"you don't like what I like? well.... you're all losers!!!!!"
hahahaha

 

[Mara]

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http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2618164682&category=505

 

[mike04456]

Now, now boys--play nice. Brand name worship is a perfectly acceptable life choice.

 

[diamatuer]

We'll spend our 5k, while you spend your 10. If that makes you "normal"...

 

[okaynow]

I can see why he's upset. You're all getting down on him and bursting his bubble. Few even answered his question. Geesh, I hope no one ever rains on the parade of your diamond purchase.

 

[dimonbob]

I don't believe anyone here is a "Tiffany Hater"
but I do believe that someone has a serious
EGO PROBLEM and doesn't like to be told that
he is wrong. So sorry!

When your lady is sitting next to someone and she
looks down and sees a diamond about the same size
as hers but the other one is prettier for some reason,
she is going to wonder way and feel a little cheated.
Of course she may have a little ego problem herself
and reason "Mine is from Tiffany's, therefore mine is
better". Thats OK if you really believe it.

We give him the best advice we could. It is his $$$$

 

[Beith]

Well, I think your original question is whether a 0.8 carat diamond is too small. The size is kinda of small as a solitaire. A 0.8 carat is equivalent to a diameter of ~ 6.0 mm. You can use a scale to draft the actual size and compare to your lady's finger to see if it is adequate. See the following for approximate diameter for round brilliant-cut diamonds:

.5 ct: 5.15 mm
1.0 ct: 6.5 mm
1.5 ct: 7.4 mm
1.75 ct: 7.8 mm
2.0 ct: 8.2 mm

I have nothing against Tiffany but their price is 3 times wholesale. With the same price, you can get a 1.5 ct or above. As a women, I'd always love to have a bigger diamond dangling on my finger

Good Luck.

 

[Rank Amateur]

A man with such love and dedication as sjulaw certainly will need AT LEAST a 2 ct stone to do right by his sweetie. It is a weel known FACT that 80 points in a blue box only shows 40% as much love as a 2 ct in a blue box.

Besides, a measley .8 ct stone would be a SLAP IN THE FACE for such a high quality broad.